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"Ladies and gentlemen, I am your Emperor. Ruler of Loen, East Balam, and the Rorsted Archipelago—George Augustus III."
The following day, at Memorial Square in the West District of Backlund.
Sporting his signature mustache and an air of rigid austerity, Augustus III stepped solemnly onto the podium. He began a speech filled with impassioned rhetoric, his voice ringing across the gathered crowds.
He started by recounting the historical grievances of the Feysac Empire's past aggressions against Loen, pivoting to their recent attacks to stir a boiling resentment among the citizens below.
From there, he painted a grand vision of the beautiful future that would follow Feysac's defeat. His goal was to foster a deep sense of identification and fervor within the populace toward him as their King, thereby maximizing the effects of his upcoming promotion ritual.
"Once the war is won, I shall once again lower the property requirements for voting rights and transfer more authority to the House of Commons..."
"A fake, born of sheer imagination."
High above Backlund, standing atop a drift of white clouds, George looked down at the Augustus III who was currently delivering the fiery speech and couldn't help but shake his head.
Adam—or rather, Grisha—might be able to deceive others with his Envisioning, but he could not hide the truth from George.
"I can feel it. He has already begun the ritual," Roselle remarked, his eyes gleaming with an inner light.
As the previous generation's Black Emperor, Roselle could naturally sense the ascension of a successor. The moment a new Black Emperor successfully ascended, Roselle would cease to exist in his current state.
However, having already been cleansed of the Mother Tree of Desire's pollution, Roselle could return to life at any moment he wished, reclaiming both the Uniqueness and the Beyonder characteristics from Augustus.
"It seems the Royal Family still doesn't trust the Churches."
Augustus III had informed the Churches that he would proceed to one of the nine mausoleums to ascend as the Black Emperor only after his speech concluded.
In reality, since the moment the speech began, he was no longer on the podium. He had already slipped away to one of the hidden mausoleums to begin the promotion directly.
The King currently delivering the passionate address was nothing more than a double envisioned by Adam at Augustus III's request. This deception was designed to create a window of time, preventing the Churches from changing their minds and intervening at the last second.
"Let's head to the mausoleum and take a look."
With a thought, George took Roselle and vanished via teleportation. They reappeared inside a secret mausoleum constructed by Augustus III.
The Black Emperor's promotion required nine mausoleums, and only Augustus III knew which specific one he would choose for the final step. This was a safeguard against any attempt to sabotage the ritual.
But such secrets were meaningless to the current George. With his Multiversal-level power—strength that surpassed even the Pillars of this world—he could track a single ant on the planet if he so desired.
Even if the Celestial Worthy or the God Almighty were to truly awaken, they would be of little consequence before George.
By his current calculations, the Original Creator of this world in a complete state would only be equivalent to a Multiversal-level powerhouse possessing the energy of twenty normal worlds. George, however, already commanded the power of thirty worlds, with a comprehensive combat capability comparable to forty.
Even if the Celestial Worthy and God Almighty resurrected and fused with the Outer Deities to reform the Original Creator, they still wouldn't be a match for him.
Inside the mausoleum, Augustus III sat upon his throne. He tilted his head back, swallowed the promotion potion in a single gulp, and began the transition to Sequence 0: Black Emperor.
A violent surge of energy instantly erupted within the tomb. As the promotion progressed, Augustus III's aura grew increasingly powerful, and a heavy sense of majesty began to radiate from him.
However, at that very moment, a young man wearing a monocle over his right eye suddenly materialized in front of Augustus III.
"Terribly sorry, but I'll be taking your apotheosis ritual for myself!"
The newcomer was Amon. He intended to hijack Augustus III's ceremony to ascend to godhood himself.
Although he was still missing one Worm of Time Beyonder characteristic, he was the personification of the Error Pathway's Uniqueness. Combined with a Worm of Time envisioned by Grisha, it was just enough to force a promotion. At worst, his strength would be slightly inferior to a standard true god.
"Presumptuous!"
Augustus III snapped his eyes open. He immediately activated his Distortion ability, attempting to crush Amon into a pulp on the spot.
But Amon was not so easily handled. He directly Stole the distortion and reflected it back toward Augustus III.
Before the reflected distortion could reach the King, however, it was intercepted by a dignified middle-aged man wearing a heavy cloak. He had black hair, blue eyes, and a square jawline that exuded authority.
"Amon the Blasphemer, we have no desire to be your enemy. Please, leave this place."
"William Augustus I. You should be guarding the secret mausoleum in East Chester County right now."
Amon adjusted his monocle, his expression devoid of panic.
William Augustus I was the ancestor of the Augustus family and the founder of the Loen Kingdom—a Sequence 1: Hand of Order. With Augustus I standing in the way, it would be difficult for Amon to replace Augustus III and achieve godhood.
That is, assuming Amon had come alone. Naturally, that was not the case.
"This is a development that accords with the trend of history. I suggest you do not interfere."
Grisha, dressed in a priest's robe, quietly appeared beside Amon. Augustus I's expression darkened instantly.
"Hmph. Adam, I knew you harbored ill intentions. But if you think you can let Amon hijack this ascension, you are sorely mistaken."
As Augustus I spoke, several figures emerged from the shadows.
They were Sequence 2 Balancer Drink Augustus, Sequence 3 Chaos Hunter Grove Augustus, and Sequence 3 Unaging Demoness Katarina Pelle.
A Sequence 2 and two Sequence 3s working together against a Sequence 1, armed with powerful Sealed Artifacts, could certainly hold their own. While winning might be difficult, they only needed to hold out until Augustus III completed his promotion. Once he ascended, nothing else would matter.
As for why a White Demoness from the Demoness Sect was present?
It was because Augustus III did not fully trust Adam. He had secretly re-established contact with the Demoness Sect, gaining their support by promising to allow them to proselytize within Loen after he became a god.
In fact, Augustus III had also contacted the Aurora Order. They had initially agreed, but they had abruptly reneged on the deal the previous night.
"Idiots."
A mocking smile played on Amon's lips as he stepped back, retreating behind Grisha.
Grisha waved a hand, and the Corpse Cathedral descended, trapping Augustus I and the others within its grim walls.
"You think you can trap us?"
The three immediately unleashed the full power of their Sealed Artifacts, intending to shatter the Cathedral from the inside. However, the result defied all their expectations.
"How is this possible?!"
They had assumed they were facing the Sequence 1 version of Adam. In reality, they were facing Grisha, who was already equivalent to half a Great Old One.
"Should we step in now?"
Roselle, who had been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines while hidden, turned to George as he saw Amon preparing to forcibly take Augustus III's place.
If Roselle were to reclaim his Uniqueness and Beyonder characteristics now to resurrect, Augustus III's promotion would fail instantly, and Amon—who was attempting to piggyback off the ritual—would also be unable to succeed.
(End of Chapter)